Two Charlottesville police officers were indicted Thursday on charges of bribery, conspiracy, witness tampering and giving false statements. The officers allegedly accepted sexual favors in exchange for information and other privileges, the U.S. Attorney's Office reported in a press release.
The officers, Roy Saunders, 46, and Charles Fitzgerald, 45, were indicted before a federal grand jury in Roanoke.
The indictment, according to the press release, alleges a manager of Maxx's, a defunct downtown Charlottesville nightclub, and a co-conspirator facilitated sexual favors for the officers. Maxx's Manager Charles Phillips, 42, who also operates a local escort service, allegedly bribed the officers to ignore traffic violations and other illegal activities stemming from the nightclub and received advanced warning of any investigations into his various businesses.
These are "very disturbing charges," Charlottesville Mayor David Brown said.
A representative of the Charlottesville Police declined to comment on the allegations.
The investigation was initiated by Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy Longo, who then brought in outside authorities and ultimately the FBI.
"I think what's remarkable is how our chief, when he came here and saw [corruption], he turned over the investigation to the state police," Brown said.
City officials expressed disappointment regarding the alleged conduct but stressed that such behavior is atypical of the City's Police Department.
"I think that this incident is not at all reflective of the professionalism we expect of the Police Department," Charlottesville Vice Mayor Edward Lynch said.
Despite the officials' confidence in the department, corruption is prevalent in many police departments and can be difficult to track, according to Samuel Walker, a nationally recognized authority on police misconduct and professor of criminal justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
"There aren't any figures," Walker said. "This is the kind of crime that is unreported."
If convicted, both police officers can be sentenced to 30 years or more in prison, but Phillips will face a maximum sentence of 20 years, according to the press release. Court dates have not yet been set for the case.
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